Putin's talks with US envoys ‘constructive’: Kremlin aide

• White House official says both sides discussed 'substantive plans' for next steps, to be announced in coming weeks

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s talks with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were “substantive, constructive and extremely frank,” Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said on Sunday.

The talks in Moscow on Saturday lasted three hours and 10 minutes and covered not only the Ukraine war but also potential major Russian-US projects, state news agency TASS reported, citing Ushakov.

Putin, Ushakov said, reaffirmed Russia’s readiness to continue working with the US to seek a political and diplomatic solution to the Ukraine conflict.

The Russian president also stressed the need to address the “root causes” of the war and spoke about the battlefield advances of Russian forces and his confidence that Moscow would achieve its objectives, according to the Kremlin aide.

The US envoys outlined several ideas on possible ways to resolve the war, Ushakov said, adding that they pledged to take Putin’s assessments into account in their contacts in Kyiv.

Ushakov said Putin and Trump would remain in personal contact, while talks through the US negotiating team would also continue.

Witkoff and Kushner left Moscow after the meeting, and are scheduled to visit Kyiv on Sunday.

Meanwhile, a White House official told Axios that Witkoff and Kushner met Putin to advance US President Donald Trump’s efforts to end the over four-year war.

The envoys were joined by officials from the National Security Council, State and Treasury departments for discussions on proposals aimed at bringing an end to the conflict, according to the official.

The two sides discussed “substantive plans” for the next steps, which are expected to be announced in the coming weeks, said the official, adding that the US delegation looked forward to “equally productive” meetings in Ukraine.